Only 250 of the LEGO brick-based sets are currently available, so make your purchase soon 

Sales of Village Preservation’s Greenwich Village Building Set, a buildable model comprised of 449 genuine LEGO® bricks, begin today at 10 am! The set features a collection of architecturally and culturally significant places in Greenwich Village — from Village Cigars and the Stonewall Inn to Jefferson Market Library and the quaint streets surrounding Washington Square Park. Designed in partnership with Village Preservation by Peacham, a creative agency committed to making history fun and cool, the Greenwich Village Building Set captures in miniature one of the world’s most storied and enchanting neighborhoods, renowned for its unique character and lively spirit. Full proceeds from the sale of each set benefit Village Preservation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the architectural heritage and cultural history of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo.

“Greenwich Village is known and beloved throughout the world for its charming architecture, quirky streets, and rich history,” says Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation. “Whether you’re a lifelong resident, occasional visitor, or one of many who feels an affinity for this legendary neighborhood, you can now have a piece of the Village in your own home. The Greenwich Village Building Set captures so much of this neighborhood’s centuries-long history and delightful landmarks, and you get the joy of watching it come to life under your own hand. The set will not only captivate and engage a whole new audience of Greenwich Village lovers, but it will also support efforts to document and protect that irreplaceable and one-of-its-kind history.”

The design of the Greenwich Village Building Set celebrates the neighborhood’s rich diversity of architectural styles, ranging from the classical to the vernacular: the dramatic gables of Jefferson Market Library, the imposing facades of Washington Square North, and the modest carriage houses of MacDougal Alley. It emphasizes the neighborhood’s human scale and walkability, and it follows a loosely defined geography that spans from Seventh Avenue South to University Place.

Each set also comes with a 92-page booklet that contains step-by-step building instructions and historical information about the places depicted.

“Our goal is simple: we aim to make historic preservation fun, cool, and accessible, especially for younger audiences,” says Christopher J. Devine, founder and creative director of Peacham. “We hope the Greenwich Village Building Set inspires the next generation of architects, activists, historians, and preservationists.”

The Greenwich Village Building Set also incorporates some of the neighborhood’s most iconic signage, including Village Cigars and The Stonewall Inn. “Village Cigars has long been known for its quirky signage — an assemblage of handmade letters characterized by rounded serifs and dramatic swashes,” says Christopher Devine. “Close inspection reveals that these letters vary in height, width, weight, and axis, sometimes within a single word.” To faithfully capture the idiosyncrasies of these letterforms, Devine enlisted type designer Tré Seals of Vocal Type Company. Seals recreated the legendary signage, in all its eccentricities. His lettering is based on the horizontal sign from the building’s Seventh Avenue facade, and it perfectly reproduces the nuances of the original.

The miniature Stonewall Inn sign uses a font called Marsha, also designed by Tré Seals. First released in 2020, Marsha is inspired by the lettering on the vertical sign that once hung outside Stonewall. The font is named after legendary Village LGBTQ+ activist and Stonewall Uprising veteran Marsha P. Johnson. “Although the Stonewall sign was removed in 1989, it was an important part of the streetscape for many decades,” says Andrew Berman, “and we’re delighted to give it a new life, albeit at a very small scale.”

The Greenwich Village Building Set will be available for purchase starting today, June 20, 2024 at 10 AM. The retail price is $199. The initial production run is limited to 250 sets. Additional sets may be produced as demand dictates. Full proceeds from the sale of each set benefit Village Preservation. To purchase, visit shop.villagepreservation.org.

Please note that the purchase website will state that the set is sold out until it becomes available for purchase on June 20 at 10 am. We do expect demand to be high once it’s on sale, so act quickly!